Major hurdles

However, travel experts said significant hurdles need to be overcome before Chinese tourists are seen at long-haul destinations in large numbers again.

Arlt said mandatory quarantine for inbound travelers from overseas had deterred Chinese citizens from going abroad. However, quarantine had been effective in preventing transmission of the virus in China by overseas arrivals.

For Chinese, destination risk levels, pandemic control policies and friendliness toward travelers from the country are the top concerns when selecting a destination.

Olivier Ponti, vice-president insights at ForwardKeys, which specializes in travel data analysis and is based in Valencia, Spain, said, "While the launch of the vaccine passport is a very positive development in terms of getting closer to the recovery of Chinese outbound travel …the pandemic is still surging in some parts of the world and the speed of the vaccination rollout varies widely from one country to another.

"Safety perception strongly influences Chinese people's willingness to travel abroad, so the ability for destinations and the travel sector as a whole to provide a safe experience will play a crucial role in the rebound of Chinese international travel."

According to the latest travel sentiment survey by Dragon Trail Research, friendliness is the priority for 62 percent of Chinese consumers, regardless of whether they are eager to travel or not.

Some 43 percent of Chinese consumers would be more confident about traveling overseas after being fully vaccinated, the findings showed. About 56 percent said lifting quarantine would have a bigger influence on their foreign travel plans, while the same proportion said zero confirmed cases would be the key factor. Some 45 percent said the resumption of international flights would influence them the most.

The survey showed consumers would try to travel safely and avoid becoming a burden for healthcare workers.

Cao, from Dragon Trail, said, "An influx of Chinese tourists would depend on how soon each destination reaches herd immunity, therefore minimizing the risk of transmitting the virus when traveling outbound and returning to China."